Trial set in Hecker Pass Road homicide

SANTA CRUZ -- A June 9 trial date was set Tuesday for five defendants charged in the killing of a 14-year-old from Watsonville on Hecker Pass Road in 2011.

Alex Alejandro Rodriguez, 20, David Moreno Sanchez, 21, and Nancy Tapia, 22, face murder charges in the death of 14-year-old Jesse Lopez of Watsonville. They face life in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.

Attorneys in the case initially wanted a September trial date, but Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge John Salazar denied it because the killing was more than two years ago and he wanted it sooner.

On Dec. 10, 2011, Lopez was at a quinceañera at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds when he was got into a Honda to smoke marijuana, authorities said.

They drove to Hecker Pass Road and were followed by others in Cadillac. They got out of the car and Lopez was shot to death.

Carlos Valencia, 22, and Uriel Ortiz, 20 have been charged with felony accessory and felony gang participation in the case. A sixth defendant, Juan Soto Gonzalez, a 24-year-old from Santa Cruz, admitted to separate charges in the case and is expected to be sentenced to at least seven years in prison.